Caffeinate Your Hypertext

A Bucket of Questions and Ideas

While there is no magic solution for everyone, there is a bunch of unique, equally magical hypertext solutions for every individual need. While researching hypertext, I came up with many unanswered questions and interesting ideas. Here are some of them. I hope they get you thinking in a different way about your own site.

Hypertext Is Hard To Write

Hypertext requires more work than a good 'ol paper document. Aaaarrrgh! To analyze your information, come up with a neat organization method, then write your content can take huge amounts of time. Furthermore, links let people choose their path through your site, and they will likely only see a small percentage of your total work.

Even finding and linking to external sites is difficult. It's much easier to write a sentence than it is to (1) find a good Website to link to and (2) include it in the sentence. Challenges aside, writing good hypertext brings many rewards. You won't regret the time you spend.

Remember: when writing on paper, you want the language to flow naturally. Make your Web writing the same way. Think in hypertext; become acquainted and attuned to the hypertext writing style. The payoff is worth the extra time it takes to learn.

The Importance of Context

I can't stress this enough. It's important not to have too many little islands of text that get thrown anywhere you need them. Many sites use this technique to save time. However, if you automatically display little blurbs of information in different contexts, the blurbs can feel out of place.

The same goes for pages. The more links that point to a single page, the more isolated the page will seem, because its context is uncertain. You don't really know what the reader is thinking when they get to that page. For some information, like contact information, this is fine. For other content, it can be disastrous.

Having islands of content can separate sites by an ocean that doesn't need to be there. Sites like ExplorePAHistory.com solve this problem. Preparing the context and customizing the content takes more time, but the end product turns out much better.

Hiding Information

After thinking about Interactive Fiction, Snarg, and some other sites I've enjoyed, I realized that some sites can be improved by making information difficult to find.

Interactive fiction games like Myst and Riven require players piece together obscure little bits of information to solve puzzles and continue the story. Snarg fascinates me mostly because it's hard to proceed through the site.

Another popular site, HomestarRunner.com, contains a large number of hidden areas. Is the urge to make things obvious another taboo we can break in certain circumstances?
How about this taboo: "make links make sense." Why? Is it possible to create a Web document whose primary organizational method is disconnect?

Catalog Hypertext or Hypertext Experience?

There seem to be two philosophies about site organization. Most people organize their site as an index, hierarchy, or timeline. Others try to form a Web experience across multiple pages. Don't feel pushed into a false dilemma. You don't have to choose between the two. Hypertext is an open-ended system with infinite possibilities. You can incorporate elements of both strategies. Or you can discard them both and try something new.

Conclusion

Hypertext is really nifty. I hope this article helps you realize the versatility and power it gives you. Now that you're have some electronic caffeine and plenty of interesting examples, you can leave the limited world of paper.

Write for the Web. Embrace the possibilities of hypertext.